Which Door? Registering Your Child for School in London
Thames Valley classes begin on Tuesday, September 8. Other boards set their own calendars, so check your board’s dates. If you arrived in London this year and have not registered your child yet, there is still time. But one thing is worth knowing before you begin, because it sends some families to the wrong place.
You are probably not a fee-paying international student
Search for registration information, and you will find pages with the word “international” on them. Thames Valley calls its centre the One World International Welcome Centre. Both English-language boards have pages for international students.
You came from another country, so the word seems right.
In school-board language, however, a fee-paying international student generally means a student entering the board’s international education program and paying tuition. Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugee claimants and protected persons are generally not in that category when they are otherwise entitled to attend school here. Some temporary residents are also exempt from fees, depending on their documents.
The London District Catholic School Board instructs permanent residents and refugee claimants to choose Elementary or Secondary, “Not International.” It groups CUAET families under the same heading, but CUAET ended in 2023, and families’ current permits may differ. If your family arrived through CUAET, ask the board to confirm the correct route from your current documents.
If a page asks for fees and you believe your child should attend without tuition, pause and contact the board before paying. Do not assume either that the page is wrong or that a study permit automatically makes your child fee-paying.
First question: which board?
London is served by four publicly funded school boards:
Thames Valley District School Board, the English public board.
London District Catholic School Board, the English Catholic board. At the elementary level, the child or a custodial parent must have a qualifying Catholic baptismal certificate. Catholic baptism is not required for secondary registration.
Conseil scolaire Viamonde, the French public school board. Its London schools are Académie de la Tamise, École élémentaire Marie-Curie, École élémentaire La Pommeraie and École secondaire Gabriel-Dumont.
Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, the French Catholic board serving southwestern Ontario, including London and Middlesex.
The French boards are not French immersion. French is the language of instruction.
Eligibility comes principally from section 23 of the Canadian Charter. A Canadian-citizen parent may qualify because French was their first language learned and is still understood, because the parent received primary education in French in Canada, or because another child has received French-language education in Canada. Families who do not hold that constitutional right may still apply through a board admissions committee.
Use the chosen board’s school-finder tool to match your address to a school.
Second question: Which board is your child in, and how old is your child?
Registration processes are not identical across the four boards. The following elementary and secondary routes describe Thames Valley.
For a TVDSB elementary child, find the designated school and complete the online registration or return a paper form to the school. Ask about ESL or ELD support. School staff will discuss your child’s needs and recommend appropriate support; there is no separate One World assessment to book first.
For a TVDSB secondary student who is an English-language learner and lives in London or Middlesex County, begin with an initial language assessment at the One World Welcome Centre before completing school registration. This applies to secondary English-language learners—not every newcomer high-school student.
One World is at 365 Belfield Street. Call 519-452-2117 or email oneworld@tvdsb.ca. Its published hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with Friday visits by appointment.
Book before September if possible.
TVDSB’s current English-language learner page names HB Beal, Montcalm and Westminster as its designated London secondary ESL/ELD program schools. Placement may therefore differ from the school closest to home. Ask One World to confirm the current program and placement.
LDCSB has a different route. Its Welcome Centre asks families to contact it when an elementary or secondary student is new to Canada, and English is not the student’s first language. The centre assesses language and math skills and can be reached at 519-636-2511. Families choosing either French-language board should follow that board’s newcomer registration instructions.
What the TVDSB assessment day is like
Your child completes language and math assessments. Together, they can take up to five hours, so bring lunch or snacks. A parent or legal guardian attends.
This is not a pass-or-fail admissions test. It helps staff recommend suitable classes and support.
TVDSB offers two forms of English-language programming. English as a Second Language support is intended for students who have attended school and can read and write their first language at an age-appropriate level. English Literacy Development is intended for students who have missed schooling or do not yet have age-appropriate literacy in their first language.
While your child completes the language tasks, you meet a settlement worker who explains Ontario secondary schools and available settlement services. TVDSB says the assessment report is sent to the selected secondary school within 48 hours.
There is nothing specific to study beforehand. Students should arrive rested and relaxed.
What to bring
If a document is missing, do not abandon or unnecessarily delay the process. Call the school, admissions office or a settlement worker and explain what you have.
For general TVDSB registration, keep the following available:
Proof of birth: birth certificate, registration of birth, baptismal certificate, passport or Indigenous status card.
Proof of address: a current lease, purchase-and-sale agreement, utility bill, property-tax bill, or home telephone, cable or internet bill. A driver’s licence is not accepted.
Proof of eligibility to attend, where required: for example, a Canadian passport, citizenship certificate, record of landing, confirmation of permanent residence or permanent-resident card.
Custody or access documents, if applicable.
Recent report cards or transcripts can help with secondary placement. Bring records from the previous two years if available, with an English translation. Also bring your child’s immunization record. Keep original documents available for verification and ask the board whether a certified translation is required.
LDCSB elementary registration requires two accepted pieces of address evidence from the previous six months, an eligible baptismal certificate for the child or custodial parent, and email confirmation that its MPAC School Support Form has been completed.
Requirements differ by board and can change. Check before the appointment.
Ontario law also says an otherwise eligible child under 18 cannot be refused admission solely because the child or parent lacks lawful immigration status.
Free help in your language
Settlement Workers in Schools, usually called SWIS, places settlement workers in schools across the region. Three local organizations provide TVDSB’s program: the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre, LUSO Community Services and the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre.
Workers help with school questions, learning English, employment, housing, finding a doctor or dentist, rights and other settlement needs. The service is free. TVDSB publishes a current list of workers and their assigned schools.
One more thing: immunization records
A missing record may not prevent immediate registration, but it can later result in a school suspension.
Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act requires the Health Unit to have either an age-appropriate record covering diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease and—among children born in 2010 or later- varicella, or a properly filed exemption.
Parents and guardians are responsible for reporting vaccinations to the Middlesex-London Health Unit. The Health Unit states that healthcare providers do not report doses to its ICON system. Records from another country must also be submitted and should be translated into English.
When information is missing, MLHU first sends a notification letter with a deadline. Students who remain overdue can receive an order of suspension stating the date on which they will be excluded from school. A suspension can be resolved by submitting existing records, receiving and reporting missing vaccinations, or completing a valid exemption.
Across the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years, MLHU mailed 37,106 initial notification letters and 25,189 suspension notices; 62,295 documents were mailed altogether.
The quickest submission method is the Health Unit’s online ICON system. Records can also be submitted by fax, telephone or in person at 110–355 Wellington Street inside Citi Plaza. MLHU’s regular hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. For help, call 519-663-5317. If you need interpretation, ask what language assistance can be arranged.
A few minutes now can prevent a much larger problem later.
Your next three weeks
Choose which of the four boards fits your family.
Use that board’s school finder.
Follow that board’s newcomer process, not a different board’s instructions.
For a TVDSB secondary English-language learner, book One World.
For an LDCSB newcomer whose first language is not English, contact its Welcome Centre.
Gather documents, but call for help rather than waiting indefinitely for a missing one.
Submit the immunization record to the Middlesex-London Health Unit.
Ask about your school’s settlement worker.
TVDSB classes begin Tuesday, September 8. Thousands of families have completed this process in a language they were still learning. Help is available, and you do not have to work it out alone.
Details checked August 4, 2026. Board procedures, program locations, immigration measures and public-health requirements can change. Confirm with the applicable school board and the Middlesex-London Health Unit.